With Ina’s Breakfast-for-Dinner Board, I officially completed every recipe from her 13th cookbook, Go-To Dinners! While making Boston Cream Pie with Ina will always feel like the official conclusion of my original project, there was no question I would cook my way through this book when it was published later that year.
Longtime Ina fans will recognize some familiar territory, including fresh takes on classics like Beatty’s Chocolate Cupcakes, Creamy Hummus, and Chicken Ramen-Noodle Soup. But the book also introduced plenty of new recipes that quickly earned a place in my regular rotation, including the Warm Vegetable & Grain Bowl, Fresh Berry & Mascarpone Tart, and Oven-Roasted Southern Shrimp Boil.
Of all Ina’s cookbooks, Go-To Dinners may contain some of her simplest and most approachable recipes, making it a great choice for novice cooks or anyone who wants a quick, satisfying meal without spending the entire day in the kitchen.
My Top 10 Favorite Recipes from
Go-To Dinners
Lemon Linguine with Zucchini & Basil, page 164 (Recipe not online)
This bright, lemony pasta is packed with zucchini and plenty of fresh basil, making it an easy way to sneak more vegetables into dinner. It’s simple, fresh, and exactly the kind of weeknight pasta I’ll make again.
Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie, page 230 (Recipe)
Ina takes pecan pie and adds bourbon and chocolate, which is about as reliable a formula for success as you can get. Rich, gooey, and packed with pecans, it’s a holiday pie that delivers on every level.
French Bistro Salad, page 102 (Recipe not online)
Rarely is a salad so delicious that I’m satisfied eating it as a meal, but this combination of bitter greens, crisp apples, Roquefort, and caramelized pecans gets me there. The cheese and nuts ensure every bite is worth eating.
Oven-Roasted Southern “Shrimp Boil”, page 149 (Recipe)
All the fun of a Southern shrimp boil without the giant pot or newspaper-covered table. Shrimp, kielbasa, potatoes, and corn roast together with plenty of Old Bay for an easy, flavor-packed dinner that can feed a crowd.
Dark Chocolate Tart, page 215 (Recipe)
This is a true chocolate lover’s dessert: a chocolate-cookie crust filled with silky chocolate mousse and finished with glossy ganache. It’s rich and decadent.
Easy Eggs in Purgatory, page 68 (Recipe)
I love breakfast but rarely have the energy to prepare anything elaborate in the morning; these eggs were good enough to make me reconsider. Eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce with Parmesan and toast are quick, comforting, and just as welcome for dinner.
Warm Vegetable & Grain Bowl, page 98 (Recipe not online)
Rarely do I find a grain bowl hearty and satisfying enough to crave, but this one is packed with roasted vegetables, farro, arugula, goat cheese, and mustard vinaigrette. It’s a wholesome dinner that doesn’t feel remotely like a punishment.
Fresh Berry & Mascarpone Tart, page 229 (Recipe not online)
A golden pressed-in shortbread crust, luscious mascarpone cream, and a pile of fresh berries make this one of the prettiest desserts in the book. My husband raves about it for days every time I make it, which is why it has already returned to our table again and again.
Smoked Salmon Quesadillas, page 34 (Recipe not online)
If you’re a smoked salmon fan, stop what you’re doing and make these. Crisp tortillas filled with smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, and plenty of melty cheese are essentially bagels and lox transformed into the best possible quesadilla.
Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake, page 71 (Recipe)
I’m not usually excited by sweet breakfasts, but this moist ricotta-and-sour-cream cake can grace my table any morning. It’s brimming with blueberries, brightened with lemon, and just sweet enough to work for breakfast or dessert.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Overnight Irish Oatmeal, page 61 (Recipe not online)
Ina officially converted me to steel-cut oatmeal. Prepare it the night before, reheat it in the morning, and you have a weekday breakfast that requires practically no effort.
Cinnamon-Spiced Shortbread, page 243 (Recipe)
I could happily eat shortbread in any form, but the coating of cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and cloves makes these especially hard to stop eating. They’re buttery, crisp, and make the whole house smell like the holidays.
Salmon Teriyaki & Broccolini, page 150 (Recipe)
This is one of those complete dinners that delivers far more flavor than the effort required. The salmon is coated in a sweet-and-salty teriyaki sauce while the broccolini roasts alongside it, making it an easy weeknight repeat.
More Best of Ina here – including my top ten picks from each cookbook!
